How about another cycle of custom Oly Coaching and Programming with Fitz to take you to a new level?
Fitz is back in the ‘Fringe Den’ beginning August 27 with another session of Olympic lifting! So many people expressed regret about not signing up for the last session so we’re excited to be able to offer you another chance with some changes to the format and offering.
The program has been revamped to better address each individual athlete in both their strengths and weaknesses focusing on just one lift at a time. There will be 2 six-week sessions this go-round. The first 6 weeks will focus entirely on the Snatch and the second 6 weeks will focus only on the clean and jerk. This is a much-needed change Fitz felt would help get our athletes to the next level.
The class will meet two times a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. at Fringe West for 75 minutes and will include several programmed homework assignments to be completed on your own.
There will be only eight spots available for this program. Unlike previous iterations of the Oly class, there are no prerequisites for these upcoming sessions. As the emphasis will be on one lift at a time, there will be significant time dedicated to warm-up, mobility, speed, power, and most importantly technique! The cost for each 6-week cycle to participate is $200 for members or $300 for non-members. You can do one session, or both, the choice is yours.
Now for the best part: This class will again be taught by Matthew “Fitz” Fitzgerald, a longtime student of the world-renowned Olympic Weightlifter/Strongman Justin Thacker. Those of you who have worked out alongside Fitz, know he routinely throws around the heaviest weights while making it look easy. He has enormous patience and a fantastic eye for coaching. He can focus on the smallest nuances of both the snatch and clean and jerk to help you improve.This program is an adaptation of past Olympic lifting cycles and is designed for those motivated by the value of technique, consistency, and power in the Olympic lifting movements.Emphasis will be designated on proper positioning with the goal of improving biomechanics so that we as a team can modify and or transform your weaknesses into your strengths. I understand and support that most of those who will contemplate taking on this program are passionate about CrossFit. What I want to make known is I understand your goals in taking this class are to become better at CrossFit and I think what you are going to come to realize is that it is going to make you a more complete athleteMuch of Olympic lifting is about being able to ignite the proper muscles under stress with proper form i.e.( we want to create good habits and eliminate the bad). While in no way am I going to guarantee that you will be lifting personal bests at the end of the cycle, as this is not the aim. I can ensure you that we are going to put you in the best position to do so in the future. Like an axe, our goal is to sharpen your edges so that when the opportunity arrives to cut down that big tree you are in the best position to do so. While we all want to hit PR’s every day, it just doesn’t work that way. This sport – Olympic Weightlifting – not CrossFit, is humbling and a grind. Some lifting days are better than others but it is important to stay the course. Because of technique changes, some of you may feel discouraged that your numbers are not getting better, or maybe even seem worse. Don’t give up! I am here to tell you that this is only a microcosm of the way you are going to train in the program.Olympic weightlifting is about making lifts, this is where your focus should be. The best days are the days where you work up to your top rep with no misses. In this program, with my help, you will become more efficient with your strengths and address and improve inefficiencies. When it comes to the individual we are all different. No two athletes have the same size or shape. While there are certain biomechanical movements in Olympic Weightlifting that are more or less unwritten laws of how to become successful in increasing your lifting efficiencies, we must be able to address and then counter the differences on an individual level. I take immense pride in taking these physical differences into account when addressing your individual programming and homework.One of the most important things in this program is communication. All that I ask is that you are willing to be open and honest with me. While I am here to help you reach your goals, I can not see everything and I am in no way a mind reader so if you don’t understand something, ask questions, that’s why I am here!I look forward to working with you and I can’t wait to throw some weights around together in the near future.
Matthew Fitzgerald